Hat-trick bid may be Lee’s last All-England

Badminton star hoping to regain title in event starting today.

BIRMINGHAM: Lee Chong Wei’s millions of supporters will be hoping that his bid to regain the All-England Open title this week is not his last attempt at the world’s oldest badminton tournament, which begins at Britain’s National Indoor Arena on Wednesday.

The world number one from Malaysia is top-seeded, favoured to avenge his loss to Chen Long in last year’s final, and employing his light-footed game at the age of 31 almost as nimbly as ever.

However, Lee originally planned to retire after the 2012 Olympics and has recently been suggesting that he may do so soon, perhaps after the Asian Games at Incheon in September.

Lee prolonged his career only because he came so agonisingly close to the Olympic gold medal which would have been the first for any Malaysian in any sport. He felt a responsibility to see if another attempt was possible, but now doubts that he can. “I don’t know whether I can last until 2016 for the Olympics in Rio,” he had earlier stated.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2014.

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